CROSSING OVER : CALLED BACK TO THE STARTING PLACE 1993 ROYAL HIGH GRADUATE RETURNS TO GIRLS' TEAM AS COACH.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Daily News Staff Writer

Kim Crosse has learned that you can go home again.

Crosse, a 1993 graduate of Royal High School, has returned to the Simi Valley campus to coach the girls' cross country team. She currently attends Cal State Northridge and hopes to teach at Royal sometime after she graduates in 1997.

``It's neat to come back and coach at the school you went to,'' said Crosse, who coached track at Sinaloa Junior High School last year. ``It's also really fun to see my old teachers and some of the kids that I went to school with who are now working at the school, too.''

What makes it all the more special is that the Highlanders' cross country team has undergone some serious changes since Crosse competed in the early 1990s.

Back then a typical team consisted of about 20 runners - boys and girls combined. But this year alone that number has doubled.

Crosse has had a hand in the program's expansion. A number of runners followed her from Sinaloa to Royal this year. It also doesn't hurt that the school has finally added a freshman class.

``Hopefully we can continue to progress in the years ahead,'' she said.

Crosse expects a competitive girls' team this year, although it might be a bit much to expect the Highlanders to knock perennial-power Thousand Oaks from the top spot in the Marmonte League.

A more realistic goal might be to finish ahead of cross-town rival Simi Valley.

``I think a lot depends on how well we work together and how hard everybody works,'' she said. ``But we have a lot of potential.''

Much of the team was in action for the first time this season at the Seaside Invitational meet in Ventura last weekend, although Royal was limited in available runners. Meet rules prohibit anybody that hasn't completed at least eight practices from competing, and a number of girls didn't start training until school started two weeks ago.

Of the Royal girls that did run, the top performers were sophomore Laurie Ramirez, junior Alicia Bartholomew, sophomore Monica Rodriguez, junior Angela Sauthworth and sophomore Cristina Garcia.

Other runners who Crosse expects to have an impact this year include junior Desiree Munoz, senior Korrine Gerhard, sophomore Kim Schmidt, sophomore Laura Price, junior Mariah Redmond and freshman Jessica Lee.

Crosse would like for the Highlanders to develop a solid group of seven runners who can push each other throughout races.

``We have three girls who are pretty close in times, but now we need to get our fourth and fifth runners to get closer to them,'' she said.

She feels that can be accomplished through hard work.

``Right now we need to improve our endurance,'' she said. ``Once we do that we can do well as a team.''

Crosse was pleased with the team's effort at the meet in Ventura.

``Considering that we didn't have all of our girls and that we're still not in top shape, I thought we did well,'' she said. ``I think we'll start to get in better shape in the next two weeks or so.''

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Photo: A huge turnout for the cross country team this seaso n at Royal High School has given first-year coach Kim Crosse a lot of depth.

Jeremy Greene/Special to the Daily News